


Blind Date

by the_big_lubinski



Category: Cute Demon Crashers!
Genre: Blind Date, Friends With Benefits, Multi, Polyamorous Pack, Team as Family, trans akki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 18:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7543837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_big_lubinski/pseuds/the_big_lubinski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire might be content with the casual relationship she shares with the Incubi and Succubi, but her friend does not know that. We can't really blame that friend for setting her up on a blind date, but it doesn't mean that Claire especially wants to go on that date, or that said date won't be a disaster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blind Date

**Author's Note:**

> This is an entry for Sugarscript's Cute Demon Crashers Fanart and Fanfic Contest! Since one of the primary themes of this game is consent, I thought a fanfiction about coercive dating tactics (using public pressure and passive comments/compliments in particular). Please note that Akki is a trans girl in this fanfic and is referred to with she/her pronouns. When referring to sex demons as a collective, I use the term "cubi" for a plural, gender-less cubus title.

_**BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.** _

_**BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.** _

Irritably, Claire's eyes opened as her hand groped for the phone that had so rudely awoken her. She hit a brush, her clock, and knocked an empty plastic cup off of her bedside table before finally grabbing the offending object. Claire resisted her primal urge to throw the phone at the wall, and forced her eyes open further against the glowing screen. “1 NEW MESSAGE” the screen of her phone read, and in her exhausted state Claire could almost swear it did so with spiteful glee. As tempting as it was to leave the text for later and go back to sleep, Claire didn't want to take the sliver of a chance that this was actually a very urgent message that wasn't able to be conveyed through a voice call for some reason, and she slid her finger across the screen, blinking furiously to get her eyes to focus enough to read the words. Upon reading the (definitely not urgent or time-sensitive) message, Claire typed her response before finally listening to her innermost desires and throwing the phone, albeit softly, onto the floor.

Too awake now to properly fall back asleep, Claire swung her legs over her bed, a nice and large Queen mattress she'd received as a moving-in gift from her parents when she began her fall semester away from home, choosing to instead rent a small house with some roommates. Forever grateful for carpeted floors, Claire didn't bother taking the few minutes to look for and put on her slippers and just walked out to the living room, where Akki was perched on the couch, legs tucked tightly under her bum, tongue sticking out as she focused intently on whichever game she'd decided to tackle since finishing what Claire deemed the last DECENT Sonic game the previous week. She'd ditched her typical leather uniform (which had since been adjusted as she had taken to maintaining her succubus form) for a comfy pair of pajamas, and seemed too engrossed to say anything, before she actually noticed Claire was up. Gleefully pausing the game, Akki grinned, “Morning sleepyhead!” She set the game controller down, giving her full attention to her favorite mortal. “You look like a puffball, does that mean you slept good?”

Claire went to answer, but instead yawned loudly, drawing the attention of Orias from the kitchen, who popped his head into the doorway with an amused smirk. “There's a kettle of green tea on the stove.” He walked into the living room, with long hair tied back for the sake of convenience, a thick book for pleasure, and a Hello Kitty mug of tea for a little bit of both. He tucked himself into the corner of the couch, opening the book with a fluid motion, beginning to read.

Claire walked into the kitchen, small and charmingly crowded with various things of interest (not all of which were edible) all over the counters, while the stove was spotlessly clean, complete with an old little tea kettle that was rescued from a thrift store. Claire chose her favorite mug from her slapdash assortment, a cute pink one shaped like an owl with printed text reading, “#YOLO: You Obviously Love Owls” along the bottom. She poured the tea into it, taking a moment to just stop and inhale the aroma, enjoying the atmosphere. She could hear Akki resume her game in the living room, the turning of a page from Orias, and the faint sounds of birds outside. She truly loved this peaceful existence she and the demons had created for themselves since that fateful day when they came into her life.

Now slightly more awake, Claire took a sip of her own mug of tea and strode out to the living room again, sitting squarely between Akki and Orias, content to watch Akki play her game. Akki's character, a custom-designed elf that looked oddly similar to the succubus herself, was still in her tutorial mode and, with the guidance of the game's text, was currently firing arrows at the enemy in front of her. “Why did you go for a ranged fighter? They're basically useless if an enemy is too close, and you need to do more attacks, since they're so weak.”

“No back seat gaming!” Akki commanded, eyes still glued to the screen as she continued learning the finer points of the game. With a giggle, Claire waved a hand in front of Akki's face, a little impressed as her focus didn't even waver. While the NPC berated Akki's elf for engaging in combat, prompting a dialogue choice from Akki, Claire poked her in the side, making the succubus jump with a squeak and accidentally hit the prompt for the rude response. “No! I was going to romance her!” Akki exclaimed, almost tearing up as all of her dreams of romance with this NPC she knew for minutes were shredded by the poke of a single mortal.

“You can't romance her anyways. She's a heterosexual NPC. The cut-scene where she turns you down is sweet though.” Claire said, prompting Akki to thrust her fingers into her ears and hum as loudly as possible, glaring at Claire the entire time.

“Play nice now,” Orias ordered softly, eyes leaving his book and flickering over to Claire. She meekly leaned against Orias at his words, and he began to stroke her hair as he resumed reading, giving Akki the opportunity to also resume her game. There was a few minutes of silence, save for Akki's character's sounds of combat as she fought some low-level enemies.

“So, where are Kael and Mirari?” Claire asked Orias, as Akki's elf made contact with two new characters, bringing in a little more exposition.

“Kael is in our realm. He wanted to clarify that our 'human information' has no risk of being exposed as false,” Orias answered, placing his book down as he spoke. Typically, he would have a sort of strain to his voice in this sort of situation, suggesting a more than minor annoyance at being pulled from his reading, but he seemed more than content this morning. Orias sipped his tea before continuing, “There shouldn't be a problem, but Kael is nothing if not thorough.”

“Did he say how long he'd be gone?” Claire didn't get days to herself very often, and between schooling, homework, and her part time job, it was nothing short of a miracle that she had a day like this where there were exactly no responsibilities. If it turned out that Kael wouldn't be around, it would be heartbreaking.

“He should be back within the hour,” Orias said, smiling softly to reassure Claire. “As I said, there shouldn't be any difficulties to keep him there for too long. As for Mirari,” Orias gestured to the window, “She mentioned something about bringing a plant to the neighbors across the street. She _has_ been gone for a while, but I imagine the ladies are just keeping her for company. Mirari has been known to make friends even if her only company is a blank wall. ”

As though she was summoned by the third mention of her name, in true Beetlejuice fashion, Mirari came through the door. She wore her casual pink clothing, fashionably paired with a grin that was plastered from ear to ear. “Oh my gosh, I think we might need to reconsider this whole 'immortal' thing and grow old with Claire!” Mirari pulled off a comfortable pair of slipper boots as she spoke, “Our neighbors are the _cutest_ pair of old lesbians I have ever seen!”

“I'm glad you wish to grow old for aesthetics's sake,” Orias chuckled.

“It's more than the looks, I could do that on my own.” Mirari scooped up the now discarded boots, and began walking over to Claire's bedroom to return them. “It's more the old china and the hard candies and the complimentary lemon bars!” Mirari's volume grew incrementally louder as she walked further away, until she was essentially shouting in the bedroom about the cute old ladies. She came back, with a blanket stolen from Claire's bedroom in one hand and the human's phone in the other. “It's also those big old smiles they have every time they find an excuse to say 'my wife' which is always.” Mirari sat on the other side of Akki, wrapping herself into a blanket cocoon. She stretched her arm around behind the still entranced Akki to hand Claire her phone.

Claire grabbed her phone, smiling sweetly at Mirari as a thank you before looking to her phone, sighing as she saw a response to her message from earlier. She quickly responded again before placing the phone on the back of the couch. She had no interest in spending the day on her phone when her favorite people in the world were all together, sans one mom-friend who was promised to arrive soon. “So Akki, how much do you know about the game already?” Claire asked, attempted to make peace with her after the teasing from earlier.

“I can save the world and I can be gay,” Akki answered firmly, still concentrating on her game. “Someone online said something about not trusting an egg, but I don't know what that means.” Claire laughed, but didn't say anything to spoil the surprise.

“Well, the same is true for the real Akki,” Claire gave Akki a big old smooch on her cheek, and in the process successfully distracted her. “I'm sorry for messing with your earlier. I promise I won't do it again... at least during this game.” Claire said.

“You're darn right you won't,” Akki grinned, before her smile shifted into an evil one filled with cruel intentions. Claire didn't have the chance to prepare before Akki attacked with a war cry of “AHHHHHHHHH!” which was admittedly not the most creative of war cries. Akki dug her fingers into Claire's ribs, forcing her into shrieking laughter. “This hurts me more than it does you!” Akki laughed, her laughter quickly drowned out by Claire's.

“Lovely,” Orias said, quickly moving himself and his tea out of thrashing range. With the sudden expansion in space, Akki effectively pinned Claire onto the couch. Mirari scooted away from the impromptu tickle battle next to her, but also rotated to get an unobstructed view of the show.

“HE-HE-HELP!” Claire shrieked, reaching an arm out dramatically to Orias. He shook his head, clearly amused despite himself. Her cry for help went unanswered, however, and Akki took advantage of the opening to dig her fingers into Claire's armpit, sending her into another laughing fit.

“I don't think that's very fair,” a voice spoke from behind Orias, and Kael stepped out. At his sudden appearance, Akki sheepishly sat up, still straddling Claire. “Aren't you worried that the neighbors might think we're killing her?” Like everyone else, Kael seemed more amused by the antics than anything else, but _someone_ had to be the responsible one.

“Help meeeeeee!” Claire theatrically cried out to Kael, still grinning. “The other kids are being mean to me, Mom!” The other three in the room did their best to suppress a snort, giggle, and smirk respectively, while Kael's smile went from genuine to forced. The longer the silence held, the more Claire's mischievous laugh transformed into a nervous one, while Kael's face did not crack.

Claire was about to apologize for clearly going too far, but Kael beat her to the punch, “On second thought..” He strode over to the two, still smiling, and knelt down to ruffle Claire's hair. He gave her kiss on her forehead, and said warmly “She might just deserve it.” Screw being the responsible one, Kael felt the idea of giving Claire a little trouble much more entertaining.

“I have been forsaken!” Claire declared in mock horror before shrieking as Akki gleefully resumed her tickle attack, this time going for her ribs. It was clear that no one was going to help her. Just as Claire resigned herself to a cruel death by tickles from a cute succubus, her phone buzzed. “PHONE! PHONE!” Claire cried out, sitting up as soon as Akki stopped, grabbing her phone. She gave a disgruntled sigh and angrily typed out her response.

“Something the matter?” Kael propped himself on the couch's arm, head turned inquisitively at the phone. He certainly understood the concept of phones well enough, they all did, it was still odd to him to see just how much people communicated when it was so easy. Regardless of whether the message was an important piece of trivia or a joking announcement of a meaningless event, it all warranted telling. This message seemed to fit somewhere between those two points.

“Okay, so you know how before you guys showed up I was a little...” Claire trailed off, making a continuous looping gesture as she tried to find the right word for what she was looking for. It wasn't exactly 'horny' since it had to do with more than a quick roll in the proverbial hay, but it was still definitely a sexual thing and not a romantic one.

“Thirsty?” Akki offered helpfully.

“Yeah, thirsty.” Claire said, and she suddenly felt like a protective mom who needed to make sure that Akki didn't learn things from the wrong websites. She shook off the feeling and continued, “So I guess my friend Becky didn't get the memo that I'm good now.” Claire paused, giving a sweetly perverted little smile to her roommates, “More than good, I'd say.” She laughed nervously at the awkward flirting that they all somehow put up with.

“So, what's the matter then?” Mirari draped herself across Akki's lap and peered up at Claire through her eyelashes. “Is she trying to set you up with someone?”

“Yeah,” Claire groaned. “She means well, but I really don't want to go on a date, and she won't take no for an answer.” Claire sent an emoji on her phone, hoping it might convey her tone better than words alone did, but she doubted it. Her friend could be very headstrong when it came to this sort of thing. Her phone buzzed again, and Claire read the answer with another irritated sigh, “Oh, looks like the date is today too!”

“What are you going to do then?” Akki asked.

“Well, nothing is coming of this,” Claire said, her decision clearly firm. “Beyond not wanting that sort of thing right now, and with a stranger much less, I'd need someone who is cool with all this.” Claire gestured at all of them. Suddenly terrified that she worded that wrong, she clarified, “That is, I don't want to lose you guys, but a lot of people wouldn't be okay with what we do.”

“Don't worry, we know what you mean,” Orias said, smiling gently. “You're not the first human whose needed to be cautious for our sake.” He stroked her hair reassuringly. It was so common for him to stroke her hair during aftercare that it seemed to have a calming effect on her. Claire leaned into the touch, slightly less frazzled for it.

It was almost picturesque how they all looked in that moment. Their family unit was not the most orthodox, but it felt perfect. Nothing needed to be added, and nothing needed to be taken away. That wasn't to say that there wasn't the occasional visitor to their life, and there even was a sort of guest room for the explicit purpose of any the the cubi being able to bring someone back to “their room” if they wanted. But in terms of long-term relationships, casual though they may be, Claire was more than content with how things were at this very moment. “I'll probably have to go,” she muttered.

“You don't _have_ to do anything,” Mirari sternly interjected. “If you need us to back you up, we will. You shouldn't do anything you don't want to.”

“Yeah, but at this point I don't think Becky will believe I'm having sex with _all_ of my super-hot roommates, especially since I've always been bad when it comes to meeting new people.”

“We could draw straws,” Kael suggested jokingly. “The winner gets to have sole claim to being your lover.”

“Yeah, but then she might get the other wrong idea.” Claire groaned, “No, at this point it would just be easier to go on the date and turn the guy down.” She forced herself to stand up, leaving the lovely little nest the couch had become, and made her way upstairs to get prepared for a date she didn't even want.

 

* * *

 

Claire tugged nervously at her jacket, still wishing that she could have just stayed home in her pajamas. She was in front of a cute little coffee shop that she'd been considering trying one of these days, but never got around to it. She decided it would be rude to look too casual, so she'd put on a cute little yellow sundress with a denim jacket, but now she was worried that she was sending the wrong impression. After all, she wasn't here to do more than politely tell this guy (Becky's text had named him “Keith”) that this was arranged without her knowledge, then maybe she'd get a coffee to go or something. Her stomach was in knots, and all of the possibilities were running through her mind. What if he reacted badly? What if he thought she was an awful person? What if she actually was an awful person? What if he was an awful person? What if he hurt her?

“Claire!” She froze when she heard the voice call out to her, high-pitched with excitement. She turned, resisting the urge to bury her face in her palms. There, in broad daylight and modern age, stood 2 incubi and succubi, wearing long brown trench coats, brown fedoras, and sunglasses. Akki was waving excitedly, and if anyone was aiming for incognito (somehow???) then it basically went out the window. “It's me Claire! If you can't tell, it's Akki!”

Claire walked over to them, knowing the answer to he question before she even asked it, “So, whose idea was this?” All four of them pointed to Akki, the succubus herself pointing most gleefully of all. Claire couldn't keep from laughing a little, “Can I ask why?”

“Well, Mirari was worried about you going alone,” Kael said, clearly just as amused by all the antics as Claire. “Orias suggested that we come along for support, and Akki said that these would be the best uniforms.” And Kael's role, apparently, was going along with all of this and having a blast the whole time.

Claire shook her head, still smiling, “I don't even know where to start.” People were staring at the auspicious group and Claire outright laughed. All of the bundles of knots loosened almost instantly, and she smiled warmly at them. “You know that you only need disguises for people who might know you, right?” Akki's face dropped, crestfallen, and Claire resisted the urge to give her a reassuring kiss. “You get points for looking super adorable in your outfits.”

“As valuable as being cute is,” Orias interjected dryly, “It is an unseasonably warm ensemble. All in favor of ditching this look raise your hands.” Five hands went up, including Claire's. The cubi all began shedding their coats, draping them over their arms. Fortunately, they had all taken human forms, so no one paid heed to horns or anything of the like.

Feeling much more confident, Claire walked into the coffee shop, knowing that her roommates would not be far behind. She looked around, admiring the cute decor while also looking for her mystery date. It was mostly natural wood with some cute stained glass lights, though the large front window reduced any need for those lights, while also giving life to some leafy plants hanging from the ceiling. The place appeared to be decorated with works from local artists, and there seemed to be prices displayed by the assorted paintings and illustrations of varying skill level.

Her gaze met a young man her age, and he waved at her. She forced a smile. He wasn't an unattractive guy, and she hoped that meant he didn't put much weight into this meeting. She walked over to him, and he stood up, holding out a hand, “Keith Snowford, nice to meet you.”

“Uh, Claire,” she answered, feeling awkward. Was this a blind date or a job interview? Keith gave her a winning smile, not commenting on her awkward language, and gestured to the table as he sat back down. “So, look, I'm sure you're nice and everything, but I didn't have any say in this date, and to be frank I don't see anything coming of it.” Claire tried to force a smile, not wanting to be rude.

“That's fine,” Keith replied with a much more genuine smile. He gestured at the chair across from him, “Still, its been a bit of a trip to come here. Couldn't you at least join me for a drink?”

Suddenly filled with guilt, Claire took a seat. She glanced over at the door, where her roommates had just entered and made their way to a booth. She tried to give them an apologetic smile, before getting distracted by the waitress dropping off two drinks. She looked to Keith in confusion, who gave her a suave smile, “I hope you don't mind.” She nodded a quick thanks and sipped the coffee. It was bitter.

“So, you work with Becky's boyfriend?” Claire tried to make some conversation, unsure of just how short she could keep this meeting.

“Yeah, I've worked with Derek for a few months, but what I really want to do is be a writer.” Keith gave a charming smile. “I've had my stories published in a few magazines.”

“Oh really? Which ones?”

“They're European, you wouldn't have heard of them.” Keith chuckled, and Claire felt more than a little patronized. “The best received one was a story about this guy, right?” He started using his hands as he spoke, clearly getting excited about talking about his story.

On the other side of the cafe, the group of cubi were clearly less entertained. They sat with the two incubi on one side and the two succubi on the other. Menus were in front of them, but keen ears were far more focused on the conversation a few tables over. “I don't like this,” Mirari announced with a bit of a pout. “Claire said she didn't want to leave, and he basically ignored her and made her stay.” She resisted the urge to give the clearly unappreciative mortal a glare, and instead turned to the menu, filled with mostly coffee varieties, some pastries, and a handful of sandwich choices.

“Now, now,” Kael tried to soothe her, while looking over his own menu. “Humans and their dating rituals have always been more of a relative dynamic.” He glanced up at the painting above their table, and then back to the menu, having a difficult time concentrating. “The fact Claire chose to stay might be a sign that she's interested in this boy.”

“Doubtful,” Orias deadpanned. “This story that he's bragging about isn't anything that would impress her, and beyond ordering a coffee she doesn't like, he hasn't made any effort focused on her.” He set the menu down, calmly looking over to Claire's table.

“Maybe he's just nervous?” Akki offered. “A lot of people don't flirt well when they see how pretty the other person is.”

“That guy wouldn't know a pretty girl if she was sitting right in front of him,” Mirari hissed, personally offended that this Keith guy wasn't treating her favorite human like the treasure that she was.

“Are you all ready to order?” The waiter charmingly asked, looking over the four politely, eyes holding on the attractive girls just noticeably longer.

“Oh wow! It says this place does latte art?” Akki looked up excitedly at their server, “Can I have that?”

“Uh, you will need to order the drink too,” he stumbled in response. “What kind of coffee would you like?”

“I don't like coffee.” Akki answered cheerfully. “Can you do it with those frappuccinos?” She looked up at him expectantly.

“Sorry, but I'm afraid not. It needs to be one of the drinks here,” He leaned over and pointed at the section, which to Akki's disappointment, didn't include anything she would want to drink. He lingered in her proximity as she tried to find a suitable drink.

“I'd like one of these grilled peanubutter and jelly sandwiches and a regular Americano, please.” Kael cheerfully interrupted, handing his menu to their waiter. While flirting with the cubi was not itself a bad action, Akki was still inexperienced and they all wanted to have a little more trust in those interested in her.

Orias coolly placed a hand on the waiter's arm, looking up at him through his long eyelashes, “Do you have anything you'd recommend? Something your particularly favor?” His words came out like smooth honey, an unspecific emphasis on the last word giving a strange impression of something more.

The waiter flushed red, despite himself, and a quick flickering of his eyes betraying sudden questions about his preferences. “Well, I'm a fan of the Breve, myself.”

“I'll take that, then.” Orias smirked up at the waiter, shooting the proverbial arrow into his heart. Crisis averted.

Claire, meanwhile, sighed from her side of the cafe. She knew that her roommates had to be having more fun than her. Keith was finishing his story, where in a shocking twist the girlfriend had died and left a letter saying that her last wish was for the main character to find happiness with the girl he had met while she was in the hospital. Such a thrill. “So, that haircut's pretty popular, right?”

“Um, yes, I guess?” Claire wasn't sure if that was the case, though she did have a friend with a similar enough cut. Maybe she should consider getting something a little more distinct?

Keith nodded, “Yeah, I don't really like that haircut on most girls, but you pull it off.” Claire was taken back, feeling like she'd been insulted despite the compliment, albeit poorly worded. She took a sip of her coffee so that she had something to do. Still tasted bitter. “What are you going to school for?”

“Not sure,” Claire murmured. “I thought I could get some of my general education requirements taken care of while I figure it out. I think I'd like to do something creative, though.” This was one of those things that she really wasn't that crazy about talking about. It always felt like she was being judged for not having her life as figured out as some of her peers. “Are you going for English?” He did, after all, mention enjoying his writing.

“Nah,” Keith stretched, giving a confident grin, “That's more of a side thing. I'm pursuing a _real_ career option in technology. You know, something that can actually make me money.” He laughed, “Though I guess if I get paid for my stories I'm not going to turn it down.”

_Was she just told that her only aspiration so far wasn't a real option?_ Claire shook the idea away and glanced over at her roommates' table, where they had gotten their orders. It looked like Orias was flirting with their waiter, and Mirari was giving Akki sips of her drink. Claire giggled at the face Akki made, before quickly turning back before Keith called out her rudeness. However, a confident smile indicated that he believed that she was laughing at his banter, not ignoring him. Yay? “So,” Claire tried to keep the conversation going, “What kind of technology are you working with? Computers and stuff?”

“I think I'm going to do cyber security. You know, something that has a clear winner and loser. Something about that makes me feel stronger, you know?”

“Only if you're the winner, though,” Claire joked, earning a serious look from Keith. Apparently, that was not the type of humor he liked. “I'm sure you're fine, though.”

Claire somehow found a way to finish off her coffee, despite thoroughly hating it (she was definitely going to need some time to forget that taste before she would be able to come back and order something she liked). “I'm ready for the bill if you are,” she offered, hoping she wasn't coming across as too rude.

Keith waved his hand to shoo the question away, “I've already paid for it. A gentleman always pays for his date's happiness.” He stood up, extending a hand to Claire, who shook it much more graciously this time, seeing as how it signaled the end of the date. “So, could I get your number?”

“For what?” Claire asked, already knowing the answer as panic started to creep in. If she had to be honest, she wasn't even interested in pursuing a friendship with this guy, but she had a strong suspicion about his intentions.

“For our second date,” his voice was louder now, and Claire could swear that every ear in the cafe was listening in. And judging. She had no idea what she could say to make herself sound sympathetic to these strangers, and suddenly felt helpless under their scrutiny.

“I'm sorry, but I told you before that I'm really not interested.” Claire gathered up her bag, hoping she would be able to make a quick getaway. She just needed to get out, and everything would be okay. If Keith got aggressive, she was sure that her roommates, Mirari in particular, would be able to help keep her safe.

“So, you don't want to see me again?” Keith looked genuinely hurt by her comment, and Claire could imagine the kind of things people were thinking about her. “You don't think I'm good enough, do you?”

“No, it's not that at all!” Claire could tell that in her panic her voice was getting louder, “I'm just not looking for a relationship right now!”

“But you're fine with looking for a drink right now, aren't you?” Keith responded emotionally, with a hint of bitterness. Claire could swear that he turned into a different man and racked her brains quickly to try and get the old Keith back. He was polite, if nothing else, and Claire could feel herself shrinking under the glares of the cafe's patrons, and was sure that the employees must hate her for all this drama.

Claire was desperately racking her brain to try and find the best way to handle this situation, she felt a large hand on her shoulder and a deep voice command, “That's enough, now.” A combination of panic and unfamiliar tone swirled into a confused cocktail of emotions at Kael's voice. She'd heard him be firm before, but this almost sounded predatory in how much a growl it was. “There's no need to talk like that to her.” She looked up at Kael behind her and his face was almost a stranger's with how it twisted in anger. If she didn't know better, Claire would have thought that the human facade had fallen and the sex demon Kael was here, only more of the dangerous variety.

Keith, surprised by this new contender, was dumbfounded and clearly more than a little intimidated. Claire quietly turned around, noticing that Kael was not the only one scaring the pants off her date, as all three of the remaining cubi formed a solid wall behind him, all just as frightening in their rage. Claire wasn't sure how it was decided that Kael would be the mouthpiece for their protection, but she was ultimately grateful for it, given her experience with the other three and their particular brands of aggression. She slowly took a step, surrounding herself with them and feeling shielded from the peanut gallery.

Akki took a hold of Claire's arm and began leading her out of the cafe, her typically cheerful demeanor replaced with a stony anger. She was muttering things under her breath, and her grip was tight. Claire suspected that this was not an area that Akki had much expertise in, since she considered it the most enraged that she had ever been when someone had told her in a multiplayer game to “git gud scrublord” and she threw her chips at the TV. Now, she felt more like a ticking time bomb.

They all walked out the door, Kael last of all. Mirari doubled back to shout something back at Keith. Claire couldn't hear what it was, but she was sure that she would hear about it later. She felt a little shell-shocked still, but was slowly calming down. Now, Claire was planning for the time when they were home again. Akki would play her game, and Orias would make some tea and help Claire settle. Mirari would talk with Claire about plants and old lesbians, and make her feel beautiful again by pampering her. Kael would make Claire her favorite dinner and find the ways to gently tease her into laughing again.

Then, when she felt like the memories of today were thoroughly gone, it would be time for some sex to make the memories of her own name just as absent.

 


End file.
